Origins And Evolutions Of A Video Game Super Hero Comic-Con 2010 Panel

Sucker Punch Productions, the developer behind the critically acclaimed PS3 summer blockbuster inFamous, takes you behind the scenes in the making and evolution of the series' superhero, Cole MacGrath.

[6:36] Stephen Johnson: "Comic-Con 2010 Day One is ending with what should prove to be an interesting, laid back panel. The subject: The evolution of a super-hero. Specifically, Infamous and Infamous 2's Cole McGrath. In a sense, McGrath is unique in that he was created specifcally for a video game, as opposed to for a comic book or movie. Sucker Punch, no doubt, wants Cole to rise in to the pantheon of the best known super heroes, and we're going to learn how he came to be!"

[6:37] Stephen Johnson: "we're waiting for the panel to begin now. Should be any second."

[6:38] Poll: I played inFamous as a...

Good guy.: (73%)

Bad guy/: (21%)

Little girl.: (6%)

[6:40] Stephen Johnson: "we're staring off with a video look at the new game... the crowd is cheering each move, as Cole goes on a rampage through the city, showing off new powers, like a Spider-Man like electrical bolt he can sort of swing on."

[6:41] Stephen Johnson: "Huge applause for the trailer."

[6:43] Stephen Johnson: "Sucker Punch Studios designers are on hand to describe the evolution of Cole."

[6:45] Stephen Johnson: "Nate Fox, the game director at Sucker Punch, originally proposed Cole McGrath as a bike messenger, and that's where the idea gelled."

[6:46] Stephen Johnson: "Once the occupation of the main character was decided on, his friends like Zeke and his girlfriend Trish fell into place."

[6:50] Stephen Johnson: "InFamous' story was developed secondarily to the gameplay elements."

[6:50] Stephen Johnson: "The sotry was molded as Sucker Punch developed the gameplay elements."

[6:52] Stephen Johnson: "Cole originally started with a grenade launcher, and then had a pistol. Then he had the power to grab license plates and Stop signs and throw them at criminals."

[6:52] Stephen Johnson: "Luckily, all that was replaced with awesome lightning powers! Electricity for the win."

[6:55] Stephen Johnson: "Sucker Punch's idea was that, basically, every other open world game has guns and cars like GTA, so the idea was to make a different way for the main character to get around the city."

[6:57] Stephen Johnson: "Judging from our poll above, almost everyone plays Cole as a good guy... but Sucker Punch wanted everyone to have a moral choice, hence the Karma system. Basically: If you want the measure of a man, give him ultimate power."

[7:00] Stephen Johnson: "Discussion on Cole's weakness: Every super hero needs a weakness in order to be interesting (except Superman), so it made sense to pair Cole's electricity powers with a weak spot when it comes to water."

[7:12] Stephen Johnson: "A: Lots of players just like to melee enemies and not use power. So it started to make sense to have a weapon. It made sense to have "The Amp" because it's something where he channels his power."

[7:14] Stephen Johnson: "Q: Will we see a third inFamous?"

[7:15] Stephen Johnson: "A: We haven't finished the second game! But we love it."

[7:16] Stephen Johnson: "Q: Are your saves going to carry over?"

[7:16] Stephen Johnson: "A: It's not nailed down yet."

[7:17] Stephen Johnson: "Q: What made you choose New Orleans for the city?"

[7:18] Stephen Johnson: "A: Empire City was pretty much destroyed in the first game, so Sucker Punch wanted an iconic city that everyone would understand the setting of instantly."

[7:19] Stephen Johnson: "Q: Are any of the powers in the new game ideas that weren't used in the first game?"

[7:19] Stephen Johnson: "A: Not really. "most of the stuff in the trailer is all new.""

[7:22] Stephen Johnson: "A: "That is on the top of our list: Cole vs. the Chain-link fence.""

[7:24] Stephen Johnson: "Q: Why did you change the voice actor for Cole?"

[7:25] Stephen Johnson: "A: Sucker Punch apparently got a lot of heat for the gravelly voice of the original Cole... and the new motion capture technology used in inFamous 2 necessitated an actor who was, apparently, more physical."

[7:27] Stephen Johnson: "Q: Are there any plans for multi-player?"

[7:27] Stephen Johnson: "A: "We don't have anything to announce on that today, but stay tuned!""